es, and used to laugh at Miss Kerr and tell her that they
learnt more from their young tutor Frank Collins than they did from
their governess. Miss Kerr often made one of the party when they
went out together and she used to like to listen to Frank too. He
had been to a large school, and was now only waiting for his parents
to return from India before going to another. He had read a great
many books, and could remember several stories and accounts of
voyages and discoveries.

The children would sit under a tree or inside an old boat on the
beach and listen to him as he told them of the adventures of sailors
and travellers; or sometimes they went with him for a ramble in the
country, and he could show them the different kinds of trees and
wild flowers, and point out where the various birds built their
nests.

Mervyn was quite surprised one day when a lark sprang suddenly from
a field of long grass and went soaring up and up in the clear
sunshine till it looked only like a speck, and at last could
scarcely be seen, but yet all the time kept trilling and singing its
beautiful song.

As it sung it floated away to some distance from the place from
which it rose, and then suddenly it seemed to sink from the air and
to drop amidst the grass again.

"Wherever has it gone to?" said Bunny; "there are no trees here, and
where can its nest be?"

"Its nest is on the ground, in the long grass of the field," said
Frank.

"Oh then, it has just dropped into it," cried Mervyn; "couldn't we
go and see?"

"You wouldn't find it except you could trace the way to the spot
where the bird first rose," said Frank. "Directly the artful fellow
heard us coming he sprang out and started his song so that he might
lead us away from the spot where the nest is, and now he has
dropped in the grass a long way off to lead us still further away."

"Oh _do_ let us go and look for it!" said Bunny.

"I think we'd better not," said Mervyn; "remember the thrush, Bunny,
and we might kill some of the little birds."

"Quite right, Mervyn," said Frank Collins; "we should very likely
step upon it or frighten the hen bird so much that she would leave
the nest. It would be like somebody coming and driving us away from
home, you know. When I was as young as you are, I used to rob the
nests of their eggs, but I have left off doing so now, and even if
you should ever collect eggs you should only take one from a nest
and contrive not to frighten the birds. B